//------------------------------// // Pieces of the Puzzle // Story: Moments in Time // by Shingo //------------------------------// All of Canterlot was participating in a game. On a whim, the younger of the two princesses had decided to organize something that the entire population could participate in. She had dozens of ideas floating around in her mind. They ranged from the mundane such as a chess tournament, to practices that had been outlawed for centuries such as gladiatorial combat. Eventually, she had decided to go with a scavenger hunt. The victors could ask for a favour from both of the diarchs of the country. No matter how absurd the favour, they had to follow through with it. Ponies were to be paired up with another to find a certain object. In this case, they were to find golden puzzle pieces. Two thousand puzzle pieces had been scattered around the city. They were hidden in the open, in places few could reach, and in places that nopony could even dream of hiding things. The only restriction to the hunt was that magic and flight could not be used while searching. Two ponies participating in the hunt were standing at the base of a four story apartment building. One was a pink earth pony with a poofy mane and tail, and her partner was a violet unicorn with two strips in her mane and tail. A velvet pouch was over the unicorn’s neck and a compass was held in front of her. The compass was pointing skywards and both of their heads were pointed in that direction. “It’s here,” the unicorn said. “It’s at the top of this building.” “Well, what are we waiting for?” the earth pony asked. “Come on, Twilight. If it’s at the top, then let’s go to the top!” “Pinkie, it’s not that simple,” Twilight pointed to the building’s entrance. “What do you see?” The double doors of the apartment complex were worn out. Two pieces of wood were nailed across the doors preventing anypony from going inside. The bricks the building were built out of had faded due to neglect. All of the windows were boarded up and a demolition notice was in one of them. “An abandoned building caused by gentrification?” Pinkie asked. “Well, yes it is that. But what else do you see?” “Proof of leap frog development?” “I don’t think this was caused by leap frog development. Think on a basic level.” “In-filling?” “You’re just listing things that are part of urban sprawl aren’t you?” “Maybe.” “The entrance is blocked,” Twilight sighed. “If the entrance is blocked, we can’t get inside. And if we can’t get inside, we can’t get to the roof where the piece is.” “Just because there isn’t a direct entrance,” Pinkie walked to the side of the building. “Doesn’t mean that there isn’t a way up there.” She stopped in the alleyway with a wide smile on her face. “Look over here,” a pink hoof pointed to the side of the building. Twilight followed where it was pointing. A set of metallic stairs were built into the side of the building. Many of the railings were covered in rust. Instead of reaching the ground, the stairs stopped at the second story. A flight of stairs that led nowhere was hanging from the platform. An open dumpster sat a few feet away from the stairs. “That’s our way up there.” “A barely safe fire escape?” Twilight asked. “I don’t think we can reach the roof by using it. Besides, there’s no way to get up to that platform. I can’t teleport us there without being disqualified.” “Silly Twilight,” Pinkie giggled. “We don’t need teleportation or flight to get up there.” “Then how do you suggest we get on the fire escape?” “Close the dumpster for me,” Twilight raised an eyebrow. “Trust me.” She walked to the dumpster and closed it. A loud metallic thud echoed in the alleyway. Pinkie took a few steps back. She ran towards it and jumped on top of it. Once on top of the dumpster, she leapt towards the fire escape. Her forelegs caught onto a railing and she hung from it. Pinkie pulled herself over it and stood on the platform. “See?” she said. “Easy.” “I don’t think I can do that,” Pinkie walked up the stairs. They creaked with every step she took. “And I don’t think that it’s going to support both of our weight.” “Are you calling me fat?!” Pinkie gasped with fake shock. “I’ll have you know that I’ve been properly watching my weight and following a strict diet of vegetables, fruits, and a cake a day. Wait…” Twilight giggled. “That’s not what I meant,” she said. Twilight looked up as Pinkie was half way up the third story. “I meant that because the fire escape is weak, we both might…” She stopped as the fire escape let out a loud noise. “Huh, would you look at that,” Pinkie said. “Motivation to hurry up.” She hopped up the flight of stairs and landed at the highest platform. The roof was still at least a few feet above Pinkie. Pinkie walked to the railing and put her weight on it. When she saw that it could hold her, she climbed on top of it. It creaked under her as she turned to the wall. The majority of her weight was placed on her hind legs. She pushed herself off the railing causing it to break off from the fire escape. A loud clang came from the railing as it touched the ground. “Pinkie!” Twilight shouted. “Hold on, I’ll get you down.” She closed her eyes in concentration. “No!” she looked up. Hanging on the roof of the building was Pinkie. “Do not use magic. I don’t want to be out of the game yet.” Pinkie pulled her body over the ledge and tumbled forward. Twilight ran back to the front of the building. She stepped back from it and looked up. After a few moments, the silhouette of a pink earth pony stood at the edge of the roof with a foreleg extended. In her foreleg was a bright piece of gold. “Got it!” Pinkie yelled. “Catch!” The gold was tossed down to Twilight. She took the pouch off her neck and opened it up. Just as the gold was about to fall into the pouch, a cyan blur jumped in between Twilight and the gold. The blur rolled on the ground before standing on her hooves. A rainbow maned pegasus mare held a gold puzzle piece in her mouth. Like Twilight, she had a pouch over her neck. “Rainbow Dash?!” Twilight exclaimed. Rainbow placed the puzzle piece in her pouch. “You can’t steal that from us! It’s not fair.” “Nothing says that we can’t take pieces from other participants, Twilight,” Twilight turned to her right. Approaching both her and Rainbow was a white unicorn mare with a purple curled mane and tail. She had a smile on her face. “Thank you for getting that for us. That’s the last piece we needed to find.” “Hi Dashie! Hi Rarity!” Pinkie shouted. “How are you doing in the game so far?” “You just gave us the last thing we needed,” Rainbow replied. “Thanks!” “You’re welcome.” “Pinkie! You’re not supposed to say ‘you’re welcome’ to somepony who stole from us!” “Why not? It’d be impolite not to say that after being thanked.” Twilight smacked her forehead. “Well,” Rarity said. “As much as I’d love to stay and chat, Rainbow Dash and I have to get to the castle. See you two later.” Rarity galloped passed the two ponies. Rainbow followed after the white unicorn. “Twilight,” Twilight looked up. “Come on! We have to get to the castle.” “But we don’t have five hundred pieces.” “Sure we do,” Pinkie tossed another gold puzzle piece to the ground. “That wasn’t the only one up here.” Twilight’s mouth hung open. Pinkie ran to the edge of the building and jumped. She flipped in the air before landing on the building beside the apartment complex. Twilight’s mouth touched the ground. Pinkie looked down. “I think you have a problem with your jaw. It seems to have unhinged itself,” Twilight put the gold into her pouch before putting it around her neck. “Come on, I think we can beat Rarity and Dashie to the castle.” Pinkie ran across the roof and jumped to the next building. Twilight ran across the ground with a smile on her face as she followed the pink pony hopping from building to building.